If there is no God....

[Violet]

But at least the fr0d0 kind of Christian are out there So they aren't all completely moronic A lot of Christians got into religion at a low part of their life.... and as life usually gets better eventually: they think it was as a result of God... so they stick with it

Then you have the brainwashed.

And then the just plain stupid.

And also the people convinced because they can't rationalize what just happened (not necessarily stupid).

[fr0d0]

That every one of those denominations agree on what Christianity is disproves your statement chatty. It's quite the opposite here in the UK, and what I know of US AOG churches they're the same, and the rest of the pentecostal movement... they're extremely keen on their bible knowledge, I know of none more so. They love their KJV and wear out several copies they are so studious.

[chatpilot]

fr0d0 I live in New York born and raised here and the Christians here are freaking rocks when it comes to bible study. They all agree that Jesus is the son of god but everything else is interpreted quite differently from one another. They are all too busy calling Catholics idolaters and babylon the great whore, or criticizing all the other religious sects as not having the truth and misinterpreting the bible. Although they themselves don't know shit about it.

The only group here in the states that is very studious when it comes to the bible are the Jehovas Witnesses. They might not have it right but at least they put forth the effort in making sure that all their adherents are taught the exact same doctrines no matter which of their churches you visit. American Catholics especially hispanic ones are lazy as hell and pretty much do what they want. It is the easiest church to be a member of. Drink, do drugs, beat your wife, steal, kill, do whatever and then come to Sunday mass and be absolved so that you can continue in your evil ways the next day till next Sunday.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Too funny fr0d0, since when have I ever stated that I need Christians to agree with me?

Nice one.

Actually I'd be really worried if our weird little hobbit agreed with me on much of anything.

He has a most unusual yet dogmatic view of Christianity and has repeatedly shown he has no idea of what 'most Christians' think about anything.

The few Christians with whom I associate are what I call 'small c';they give witness to their faith by the way they live ,they do not proselytise and do they judge me,nor I them.One is a mainstream Protestant active in Amnesty International and Greenpeace,another is a Passionist priest,who was a wonderful friend when I was going through my separation. (he never ONCE mentioned the G word,he just got drunk with me and gave me money to survive).

PS: How can anyone disagree with "I don't believe" ? I'm not making any claim of truth or insisting anyone else disbelieve.I'm
stating a position,period.

That I'm critical of idiot new earth literalists has nothing to do with atheism. That is also a common position within mainstream Christianity.

[chatpilot]

Those are Christians that confess their beliefs from their mouths only. They don't try and live it. They live like the rest of us heathen sinners lol.

[fr0d0]

I like Padraic commenting on me... he's had me blocked since April when he made up his mind and everyone else moved on. Talk about head in the sand LOL

---

I think yours is a biased perspective if I may say so chatty. And of course it should/would be. Things are interpreted differently but when it comes down to it all churches agree on the Nicene creed. I know the pentecostal church is quite intolerant of some Catholic denominations. That's the big rift.

JW's I agree are very studious. What floats that boat I have no idea. But then of course they're not Christians, by a long shot.. just in case you were suggesting that.

I've been involved in the largest interfaith celebration in the UK for several years now, so your accusations of marginalist ideas on my part seem implausible.

[Samson]

That every one of those denominations agree on what Christianity is disproves your statement chatty. It's quite the opposite here in the UK, and what I know of US AOG churches they're the same, and the rest of the pentecostal movement... they're extremely keen on their bible knowledge, I know of none more so. They love their KJV and wear out several copies they are so studious.

Fr0do...If you want to compare the Pentecostal to the Baptist in knowledge of the Bible, I would agree with you. But the UPC followers are just as oblivious to their own book, as the majority of Christians here in the U.S.

Of course I'm not speaking for the UPC in the U.K., but this was my first indoctrination to be forced in as a child. My family later switched to the 1st Baptist (Southern at that...lol).

The UPC followers have always been on my top list of, "Most Extreme".....Right next to the Evangelical Jesus Camp freaks...

[chatpilot]

fr0d0 I don't know how it is in the UK but the Pentecostal movement here in the states are the most extreme and fanatical movement around. They are very intolerant towards other Christian groups and claim that they alone have the absolute truth basing themselves not on scripture but on the so called manifestations of the holy spirit in their movement.

They are ignorant of their own history. Once I was on the church bus on my way to service and a new convert asked where did the Pentecostal church get its name from, and when did it begin? Some elder stated that they got their name from the day of Pentecost when the disciples received for the first time the outpouring of the holy spirit. I told her that that was incorrect and that the Pentecostals were started by John Fox Parham of the holiness movement in 1901. She just looked at me with that dumbfounded look on her face.

When I was studying in seminary the instructor completely skipped the chapter on evolution stating "if you want to believe the devils lie that you are derived from an ape go ahead but I am a creation of god". He presented the history of the Christian church from the book of Acts and did not use any external sources. The JWS are considered a sect here in the US and are not considered true Christians by the mainstream churches.

[Pope Alfred]

"...every one of those denominations agree on what Christianity is ...

fr0d0, you must be joking. Major doctrines they disagree about include:

why mankind is in need of salvation.
what you have to do to be saved.
who decides who is saved.
what you are saved from.

And so on.

Not to mention lesser issues such as homosexuality and women priests & bishops, which are currently destroying the Anglican Church.

And fr0d0, yes I can back all that up in detail.

[A Theist]

fr0d0 I don't know how it is in the UK but the Pentecostal movement here in the states are the most extreme and fanatical movement around. They are very intolerant towards other Christian groups and claim that they alone have the absolute truth basing themselves not on scripture but on the so called manifestations of the holy spirit in their movement.

They are ignorant of their own history.

Once I was on the church bus on my way to service and a new convert asked where did the Pentecostal church get its name from, and when did it begin? Some elder stated that they got their name from the day of Pentecost when the disciples received for the first time the outpouring of the holy spirit.

I told her that that was incorrect and that the Pentecostals were started by John Fox Parham of the holiness movement in 1901.

She just looked at me with that dumbfounded look on her face.

When I was studying in seminary the instructor completely skipped the chapter on evolution stating "if you want to believe the devils lie that you are derived from an ape go ahead but I am a creation of god". He presented the history of the Christian church from the book of Acts and did not use any external sources. The JWS are considered a sect here in the US and are not considered true Christians by the mainstream churches.

That would be "Charles F. Parham, not "John". The Pentecostal movement began at the Bethel College, a Bible school started by Parham,1901 in Topeka, Kansas. In attendance was a one eyed black minister, William Seymour, who brought the movement to Los Angeles in 1906 where he opened a mission on Azusa Street, hence the Azusa Street revival. A visiting minister who pastored a Methodist Church in Oslo, Norway, attended one of Seymours services, and brought the Pentecostal revival to Norway and founded the "Filadelfia Church" in 1916. The Pentecostal revival then spread to Denmark and Sweden.
In 1907, an Anglican Minister brought the movement to Great Britian where it spread to Germany, throughout Europe, and in the United States.

You're making the mistake of lumping all Pentecostals under the same umbrella. There are many different denominations within Pentecostalism.